


Puzzled

by Nugiha



Category: Wonder (2017), Wonder - R. J. Palacio
Genre: Alternate Universe - Humor, Comment Fic, Community: comment_fic, Drama, Gen, To Read, To Rec, Wonder (2017) - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-20
Updated: 2017-12-20
Packaged: 2019-02-17 16:16:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13080606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nugiha/pseuds/Nugiha
Summary: Auggie Pullman has facial differences and finds the odds stacked against him at Beecher's Prep until an unexpected ally comes along in a teacher's assistant.





	Puzzled

**Author's Note:**

> Title: Puzzled  
> A/N: AU fic, strictly written for fun. The ages are Jari 16. For story purposes, Beecher's Prep has a teaching assistant program for high schoolers. This story is (loosely) based on the 2017 film/book by R.J. Palacio 'Wonder'.  
> Fandom(s): Wonder  
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.  
> Summary: Auggie Pullman has facial differences and finds the odds stacked against him at Beecher's Prep until an unexpected ally comes along in a teacher's assistant.  
> Rating/Warnings: R. OC, OOC, Mild to Strong Language, Violence, Adult situations/subjects, and etc.  
> Pairing(s): None  
> Cast  
> Jari Noury...Freddie Highmore  
> Jari's father, Ronald Noury...Mandy Patinkin  
> Jari's mother, Fran Noury...Vera Farmiga
> 
>  
> 
>   
> Center: Jari

Manhattan, NY Beecher's Prep Private School

Normal was overrated, even if Jari Noury was considered normal by others, there would always be those who weren't considered normal. People like fifth grader Auggie Pullman. He never had it normal. Auggie had facial differences from everyone else. The meaner ones would call it _deformity_ because he didn't look like others.

Beecher's Prep would finally have Auggie as a student, the principal told teacher's assistant Jari so himself.

All the stops were being pulled out such as a _welcoming committee_ so that Auggie's new classmates could transition him to the school. The three students who agreed to do it were Jack Will, Julian Albans, and Charlotte Cody.

Jari supposed Jack and Charlotte were okay, but Julian would always be considered a 'little jerk' in his eyes. Julian lived on the same block as his family. He was one of those kids who acted one way in front of adults but _cruelly_ and a terror to other kids who weren't friends with him.

As for the other two, Charlotte liked to talk alot and Jack was the all around nice guy. The choice for Jack to be apart of welcoming Auggie to the school was the _best_ one. Charlotte was that kid who liked to stand on the sidelines while Jack was more likely to stand up to Julian.

There was no doubt in Jari's mind that Julian would treat Auggie differently. Classes went by that afternoon until he was told by the science teacher Ms. Petosa that Auggie and Auggie's mother Isabel Pullman had arrived. Jari quickly informed Jack, Julian, and Charlotte who followed him to the waiting area outside the principal's office.

Of course the wait for Auggie wasn't to be silent with Charlotte around, she kept Jari entertained with stories about something she or some of her friends did the week before. He laughed at the looks on Jack and Julian's faces. The younger boys had tried to have their own conversation but couldn't get a word in edgewise. Leave it to Charlotte.

Principal Tushman came out of his office soon enough followed by Auggie and Auggie's mother Isabel Pullman, all of us introduced ourselves to them. Though Julian was trying to hide it, Jari could see the uncomfortable looks he was giving Auggie.

With Principal Tushman and Isabel staying behind to talk, the tour began and Jack, Julian, and Charlotte, and Jari began leading Auggie around the school. They showed him his classes, the cafeteria, and etc.

That's not to say that the tour went smoothly, Julian wouldn't lay off of Auggie. The second they got away from the principal, he started asking derogatory questions and being rude towards Auggie. Jari had to _scold_ him more than a few times.

There was a difference between being curious and being rude. Julian was definitely _crossing_ a line. Jari wasn't sure if Julian thought Auggie was going to become a threat to his upcoming place as the king of the fifth grade. Maybe he thought Auggie would _usurp_ him. Different was in nowadays depending on who was asked.

Jari admitted to being impressed when Jack defended Auggie and told Julian to stop, the only thing stopping him from laughing was being in a position of authority.

"I think we should get back to the classroom before Principal Tushman wonders where we went." said Jari as he gestured the four students to follow him back to the office. Auggie had seen more than enough of the school and Julian in his opinion, it was time to get him back to his mother before any more damage could be done.

Jack quickly agreed with the person he saw as an authority figure. "He's right."

"Oh come on Mr. Jari, we haven't even showed him the gym yet." Julian protested.

"If I were you, I would just let it go dude." Jack warned.

"I know that Julian but we were already supposed to be back five minutes ago." Jari informed the fifth grader.

Julian obviously wanted to protest further but decided not to push his luck.

The tour soon ended and unlike all three of the kids, Jari encouraged Auggie to come to him if he ever needed any help around school and had any questions. Auggie and Jari exchanged a smile as he and his mother exited the school building.

The weekend passed by slowly and Jari arrived at Beecher's Prep bright and early that morning, the classes he took at the high school were _independent study_. Thanks to his high GPA, the school allotted him to be a teacher's assistant until after classes ended at Beecher's Prep.

One by one, the students like Jack, Julian, Henry Joplin, Miles Noury, Amos Conti, Charlotte Cody, Summer Dawson, Ximena Chin, and finally Auggie Pullman walked into the homeroom classroom. The stares and whispers from the other kids had already started. The second they saw his face.

Auggie was in for rough time, that much Jari could tell. People could be quite cruel today with judging others without trying to get to know them. While it couldn't compare to anything Auggie had gone through. It had happened to him before.

The teacher Mr. Browne had each student in class introduce themselves and at Auggie's turn, Julian made fun of him. Not just for liking _Star Wars_. But for the braided ponytail he wore that was _longer_ than the rest of his hair.

Jari was a bit harsh with Julian for the rest of homeroom, but no one deserved to be made fun of just because they were different. No one.

Granted, Jari couldn't make up for Auggie having an actual friend but he did go out of his way to speak to him for his first day. All the other kids including Jack wouldn't. Poor Auggie was being treated like the Plague.

If _strangulation_ wasn't illegal and completely went against his morals, Jari would do it on the ignorant student body of Beecher's Prep.

Though Auggie seemed pleasant when Jari spoke with him earlier, the teacher's assistant could tell that the treatment bothered him more than he let on. Being a pariah on the first day had to suck for him.

On the way home, Jari was distracted and nearly walked into the street in front of speeding car. It was only the hands of a teenager around his age that stopped him. The girl introduced herself as Via Pullman and asked if he was okay.

The name was familiar to him, Jari asked if she was Auggie Pullman's sister and she nodded her head. Via then asked how he knew her brother. He told her that about him being a teacher's assistant at Beecher's Prep.

Since it was getting dark, Via and Jari decided to walk home together and she asked him questions about how he could balance being a teacher's assistant with his studies. He explained that the school allowed to take Independent Study.

Upon reaching Via's house, Jari bid her goodbye and started to walk off when she asked for his cellphone. It was a strange request but the teen decided to humor her and comply. She told him to look at his contacts before going into the Pullman home and closing the door behind her.

The shock of Via's number being in his contacts wore off when Jari realized the time, the teen had promised to help his mother with dinner. Quickly running the rest of the way home, Jari ran into the kitchen where Mrs. Noury waited with a stern look on her face.

Mrs. Noury asked his whereabouts and the only excuse Jari could reasonably give her was losing track of time, his mother seemed to accept and ordered him to _mash_ the potatoes.

Not wanting to anger her anymore than he already had, Jari started on the potatoes. After dinner, the teen went upstairs to his room and started playing a game of _Minecraft_ online. Some would say that it was only a game for only little kids, but hell he was still a teenager yet.

After some time playing, Jari recognized a familiar name login into the current game session he was in. There was no way it was a coincidence in his eyes. Though the game was global, Auggie Dog was pretty uncommon. He would bet money that Auggie Dog is in actuality Auggie Pullman.

Jari played Minecraft for a couple of hours but since it was school the following day, logging off to get a good night's sleep was an absolute necessity.

The teacher's assistant couldn't help but notice that life had started looking up for Auggie at school over the next few days, the fifth grader had found friends in Jack and Summer. The new trio had even started sitting together in the cafeteria. But Julian would be a problem, that much he was sure of. The _disgusted_ looks the boy was shooting them was a dead giveaway.

The only thing Jari could do was keep an eye on Julian, so far the 'little jerk' hadn't done anything that was against school rules. Take bullying for example. Principal Tushman had a zero tolerance policy.

One could argue that the students of Beecher's Prep not willing to speak with Auggie or sit with him in the cafeteria was bullying, but it wasn't. At least according the school charter that is.

The month passed and after several texts between Via and Jari, the latter wanted to ask her out on a _date_. But how to go about it was the question. Via had become a good friend of his and he didn't want to freak her out.

They had even traded secrets, Via had told Jari that her best friend Miranda Navas wasn't talking to her anymore in exchange for him telling her about the pressure from his parents to be the _best_ student.

The last thing Jari wanted to do was make their friendship awkward so maybe becoming more wasn't such a good idea, Via was actually one of _only_ girls in high school that had a brain in her head.

Unlike alot of schools in Manhattan, the students of Beecher's Prep were allowed to wear their costumes on Halloween. Just like every morning before class, Jari stopped at the vending machine for a _bottled_ water.

Jari walked into the homeroom classroom behind a kid wearing a GhostFace mask, the TA knew right away that it was Auggie. Via had told him about the dog throwing up on Auggie's _original_ costume.

This was supposed to be the _greatest_ day ever for Auggie, for once the child wouldn't get stared at for being different. But seeing Jack, Julian, Henry, and Miles gathered around in costumes and snickering on desks told Jari that wouldn't be the case.

It had started with Julian asking Jack why he hung out with Auggie and to Jari's surprise, Jack answered that Auggie followed him around and that he would kill himself if he had a face that looked like his. He couldn't help but be completely appalled at what was coming out of the fifth grade boy's mouths. Auggie ran out of the classroom before the TA could blink.

Jari cleared his throat alerting the boy's to his presence, he went to his desk and Julian followed and asked in false politeness how he was doing. But the TA could see through the nice act right away. He scolded all the boy's for what they were saying about Auggie and Jack asked if he was going to tell Mr. Browne.

Though it was tempting for Jari to tell Mr. Browne, the compassionate side that he _couldn't_ get rid of didn't want to get them into trouble. Instead the TA punished them by having all of them write a long essay on the importance of being _kind_ to others due tomorrow.

Though Henry and Miles tried to protest that they hadn't actually said anything, Jari had seen them laughing which was just as bad. Jack, Julian, Henry, Miles, and himself noticed Mr. Browne on his way to the classroom and the boy's agreed to their punishment.

That evening Jari ran into Via and Auggie who were out trick or treating and the siblings invited him to join them, Auggie asked for some of the TA's candy and he agreed to give him all of it. He _didn't_ eat much candy due to not wanting to rot his teeth.

_Reggae_ music played in the background as Via, Auggie, and Jari visited their last house of the night, the third bid the Pullman siblings goodbye and decided to head home. The original plan was for him to play Minecraft but the TA was too tired. The only energy he had were enough to take his shoes off and then get to bed.

Save for Julian, the fifth graders handed in the essays Jari had assigned them the next morning at school. He asked Julian where his essay was and was told in response that Julian's 'rich' parents said that he didn't have to do them.

Jari cared less about the _capitalists_ that Julian had for parents and expressed that to the latter, instead he gave him an extension until lunch. If the essay wasn't done by then, Julian would be in big trouble.

The bell was about to ring for lunch and Julian's deadline was approaching, the boy walked into the homeroom classroom and handed in a finished essay to Jari. He must've known that the TA wasn't kidding around. The rich didn't scare him and _never_ would.

Needless to say, Auggie had become estranged from Jack who looked confused about the reason why. While Jari actually pitied Jack to an extent, he wasn't going to fill in the blanks for him. In fact, he thought what Jack said was pretty out of character for him. The TA figured that _maybe_ he had given into peer pressure.

There was a play coming up at the high school and Via was in it as an understudy, she invited Jari to come when they met up at _Kentucky Fried McBurger King_ afterschool. He agreed and ordered a McChicken meal while Via ordered the twenty piece BBQ wing combo.

After finishing their food, Via and Jari headed back to the Pullman home to hang out. He was just about to make the stupid move of asking her out. Luckily Via shared the news about her boyfriend Justin Holland before and asked what her friend was going to say. He simply told her to forget about it.

The days leading up to Via's play and Christmas break were of unimportance, though Jari was nearly late to Beecher's Prep thanks to a ' _misinterpretation_ ' of the clock.

Thankful that no student had arrived yet, Jari started sorting the lesson plan out for Mr. Browne. It had already been prepared. But the TA didn't want it to get mixed up with the yesterday's.

Jari felt a chill and noticed the window open, he quickly rose to his feet and went to close it. The papers that been on Mr. Browne's desk went flying around the classroom. He cursed to himself. The responsibility was his to have them all picked up.

Being the good TA that Jari was, he _didn't_ want to risk getting fired. It took a few minutes but just as he had gotten all but a few back on Mr. Browne's desk, Jack walked in. He checked his watch and realized that the boy was a bit early. Jack asked if he needed any help. The TA said it was fine but Jack started helping pick up the papers anyways.

After getting all the papers picked up from the ground, Jack and Jari high-fived. it seemed that the 'Jack' he had seen on Halloween was long gone. At least that was a positive that morning. Other students started walking in and they respectively went to their own desks to sit down.

Apparently it wasn't the end of surprises that Jack had in store for that day, he had attacked Julian in the hallway after making fun of Auggie. Jari was surprised. Apparently Jack had finally remembered why Auggie wasn't friends with him anymore. Principal Tushman suspended Jack for two days and would allow him to retain his scholarship.

Eyes were on him and Jari turned around, the female _admirer_ quickly ran off before he could see who they were. Figuring it was some obsessed seventh grader, he planned to let her down easy when the time came.

Julian may have escaped punishment from the Principal Tushman but not Jari, he pulled the younger boy aside after the fight and assigned _another_ essay on being kind to others. Though this one would be longer than the first. Julian tried to protest but the TA told him that it was due after break and went to walk away.

As Jari was about to exit the hall, Julian managed to catch his wrist and asked why he hated him. The TA explained to the fifth grader that he didn't hate him but the way Julian treated others was _unacceptable_. It needed to change or the boy was bound to have a hard time in the real world.

Via's play passed without much incident, though she confided in Jari that her and Miranda had made up and were on the way to becoming friends again. He was glad to hear it since the girls had been friends for a _long_ time.

After the play, Miranda along with Justin and Jari went out to dinner with the Pullman family and then back to their house afterwards. The TA found out that Jack and Auggie had become friends again over Minecraft. The duo had already finished their science project for Ms. Petosa which was due after break. Auggie even gave everyone a _sneak preview_.

Though the school didn't actually check student progress _monthly_ , Jari made sure to keep up to date on their progress. That way he could help them if they were on the verge of failing. Jack was having alot of trouble with science. The TA noticed the way the boy cringed when Ms. Petosa gave the class a pop quiz. Hopefully he would get better with Auggie's help.

Even though Miranda and Via had made up, the two girls _weren't_ as close as they once were. Miranda invited Jari to hang out with her one day and the latter reluctantly accepted. There were no questions asked about why she had ignored Via since it was between the girls. The _budding_ friends started going on walks together and slowly started getting to know one another.

It didn't take Jari long to see why Via and Miranda had become friends in the first place, Miranda could be sarcastic and snarky at times but a good friend for someone to have. The only _regret_ he had about becoming friends with her was that it didn't happen sooner.

Instead of numbers, Miranda and Jari exchanged instant messaging info. They had spent several nights of winter break IM'ing each other. Strangely conversation never seemed to be an issue between them. Miranda knew how to keep it going. They only stopped IM'ing each other when one of us got so tired that they fell asleep with their respective _laptop_ still open.

If Jari had to be honest, he was convinced Julian learned nothing from the essays assigned to him.

Once school started back up and winter break was over, Julian began harassing Auggie and Jack. Jari didn't know the full extent. Neither boy was willing to share what Julian was doing. _Derogatory_ notes and other things were left in Auggie's locker. He only found out about them towards the end of the school year when Mr. Browne did.

Homeroom had just ended and Jari was at his desk when Amos approached, the TA asked what was wrong and Amos admitted everything that Julian had done to Auggie. He hadn't expected this from him since Amos was known to be friends with Julian _sometimes_. Julian's crew consisted of Henry and Miles.

Once it came out what Julian had been up to, Principal Tushman suspended Julian for two days and banned him from the end of the year class trip to the nature reserve. The punishment was too light in Jari's opinion. But the TA certainly didn't make the rules.

The trip to the reserve couldn't come fast enough, Jari started packing since his role as a teacher's assistant permitted him to come along. It was supposed to be somewhat educational for the children. But the TA was determined to have fun.

The night before the trip, Jari sat on the porch outside his house and stared up at the dark sky. The moon was full and the stars were bright. Noises sounded down from the street. Jari looked around anxiously and got up in a defensive position to enable him to attack if necessary.

Seeing that it was only Julian, Jari dropped his guard and asked what he was doing outside so late. Julian explained that his friends aren't willing to hang out with him anymore. I asked why and he said it was because their parents thought he was a bad influence.

Whether it was pity or a stroke of _conscience_ , Jari invited Julian to sit with him on the porch and the fifth grader accepted. It was silent between them for a few moments as both simply stared up at the sky.

Without prompting, Julian tried to explain his reoccurring nightmares of someone who looked _similar_ to Auggie.

Not a word was spoken from Jari's lips as he listened patiently and got the sense that the reason that Julian bullied Auggie was because he was _scared_ of him. The most he could do was encourage Julian to be a better person before saying goodbye and heading inside his house.

Based on the amount of sun outside the following afternoon, Jari was positive that at least half of the students from Beecher's Prep would come back with a _suntan_. The only reason he was prepared was because Mrs. Noury had packed sunscreen against his wishes. On the bus ride, Jari ended up sitting in the back with Auggie, Jack, Charlotte, and Summer.

Charlotte _wasn't_ exactly Auggie's friend per se, Jari strongly suspected that the only reason she hung out with him was because of Summer since the two girls were good friends along with Ximena. The ride to the nature reserve was long and the TA fell asleep on the way. The four children passed out as well.

The nature reserve trip was _overnight_ , facilities had been arranged for the students and teacher's to sleep comfortably. The only thing they had to bring were clothes, sleeping bags, and _other_ items that a child would need for an overnight trip.

After a day of exploring nature, Jari followed the teachers and students to the huge mess hall for a film. He couldn't help but be a bit disappointed that the film they chose to play was ' _Wizard of Oz_ '. The TA wasn't fond of the film the first time he watched it and all but completely hated it as of recent.

Bored out of his mind, Jari made an excuse to Mr. Browne and slipped out of the mess hall no less than five minutes into the film. Deciding that his time was better spent texting Via and or Miranda. The action was more preferrable than watching a movie he couldn't stand. If the TA had the power, he would _conjure_ a newer film instead of Oz.

While looking a text from Via, a sudden noise spooked him. Jari sprinted through the bushes and into a nearby clearing. The sight of a group of kids harassing Jack and Auggie greeted him. The TA _didn't_ know what happened but managed to spot them pushing Jack down to the ground.

There was no way Jari would allow this to happen on his watch, he quickly stood in front of the boys as Auggie got pushed down to the ground and demanded the bullies to stop. There were two seventh grade boys and a girl. The ringleader of the bullies didn't respect his authority.

***

Nature Reserve

In fact the seventh grader went as far to threaten Jari since the former didn't attend Beecher's Prep and therefore thought that he had no say so over him. As things started to get out of hand, Amos ran up followed by Henry and Miles. Jari had noticed a positive change in Henry and Miles. Ever since they started hanging out with Amos instead of Julian.

"What's up Jack?" said Amos as he ran up to the group followed by Henry and Miles. Jari was partly grateful while a huge part was annoyed at the fifth graders for leaving the mess hall without telling anyone where they were going.

Jari sharply glared at the trio. "What the hell?"

"Mr. Jari we saw the seventh graders follow them out of the mess hall." Henry said. "We're not here to start any trouble with them."

"You came to help them?" Jari asked skeptically since it was a well-known fact that the boys had _never_ been friendly with Auggie and had stopped speaking with Jack when he became friends with him.

"Mr. Jari, I know we're supposed to be in the mess hall but we have bigger problems right now." Henry said as he nodded to the hostile seventh graders.

"Shit." Jari cursed to himself.

Two of the seventh graders then decided to _perpetrate_ a fight, Jari broke it up and managed to get Henry, Miles, and Amos away from them. He informed the trio that they needed to go back to the mess hall. But only after finding Jack and Auggie who had run off shortly after the fight began.

No one had any clues about where Jack and Auggie were, Amos soon pointed to a nearby lake and they decided to go there where the missing fifth graders awaited them. Jack and Auggie thanked the TA and the boys for their help. Amos then returned the favor and admitted to being impressed by Auggie standing up for Jack. That led to Henry, Miles, and Amos finally _accepting_ Auggie.

Jack, Auggie, Henry, Miles, Amos, and Jari stayed at the lake looking out at the water in kindred silence until the sun started to go down, the TA took authority and they headed back to the mess hall. They informed Mr. Browne what happened. Mr. Browne promised to speak to the other school. The incident of bullying from the seventh graders _wouldn't_ go unpunished.

Before Jari knew it, the trip to the nature reserve ended and the end of the year graduation ceremony for the fifth graders was approaching.

The night before the graduation, Jari felt a bit anxious after changing into his pajamas and getting into bed. Sleepwalking didn't _correspond_ with his usual behavior. But that must've been the case because the TA woke up standing on the front porch.

Only the sudden chill caused Jari to blink his eyes up into the sky which was still dark, the TA quickly decided to go back inside to save himself from embarrassment.

Freaking out the neighbors was Jari's _last_ intention. The next morning, he decided to try to forget about the bout of sleepwalking. It was the last day at Beecher's Prep afterschool. At least until the summer was over.

The teacher's assistant program would keep going for Jari up until graduation, and even at college _if_ he still had time to devote to it. Mrs. Noury helped him locate the best suit for the graduation and then they were off.

***

Beecher's Prep

Principal Tushman conducted the ceremony and presented Auggie with a medal, Jari clapped along with Auggie's parents and the student body. Even Julian was clapping. Though his behavior throughout the year caused the TA to doubt the _sincerity_ of the gesture.

"You made it through a year at Beecher's Prep, that's something to be fucking proud of." said Jari as he, Via, Auggie, Jack, Henry, Miles, Amos, Miranda, Charlotte, and Summer gathered together to congratulate Auggie.

Auggie hugged the teacher's assistant in gratitude. "Thanks Mr. Jari, I couldn't have made it without you."

"What about me?" Via asked with feigned jealousy. "I did talk you out of homeschooling remember?"

"I meant all of you but most importantly my mom for making me to go to school in the first place." Auggie said.

***

Epilogue.

While the graduation was still going on, Jari snuck away and decided to get some forgotten items that had been left in the homeroom classroom. There was a sheet of paper placed on top of his desk but he didn't recognize. A _paragraph_ from Julian was written on it thanking him for everything. Maybe there was hope for him yet.

Jari comforted Miranda who had broken up with her boyfriend and the two started dating, both were taking things slow but their friends were happy for them. He remained the teacher's assistant at Beecher's Prep and wished Julian luck after hearing about his transfer.

Auggie remained best friends with Jack, though he eventually became friends with Henry, Miles, and Amos. The trios were decent people now that they were longer under Julian's influence.

Julian transferred to a different school after graduation, though he emailed an apology to Auggie who forgave him for the bullying and other harassment. Going to a new school became the best thing that ever happened for Julian who became a better person.   
  


**Author's Note:**

> This is all that I have to write for this story, thanks for reading. There may or may not be a sequel out eventually.


End file.
